Phantasmagoric

Stepmother (1)

She turned to the direction where she heard the gasp and a sharp voice.

The woman standing a few meters away from her have a faded red hair which compliments her pale skin and pointy nose together with her painted red thin lips.

Stupid girl?

Perhaps she recovered from the shock of seeing me, she almost flew and went towards me with her hands up on the air, about to slap me. I took a step back but her palm was still able to land on my cheek. I fell to the ground with my stinging cheek. Blood dripped from my nose which tells me she slapped me pretty harder than the slaps I received from my father.

“You should have died that day. Why are you here?!”

She’s worse than my mom. At least my mom never thought of killing me, maybe a shout and a few things broken around me but she never said I should have died.

“Who… are you?”

“Ha! Don’t pretend you don’t know me! Did you think you would get any sympathy from me if you do? Ha! I really hate that eyes of yours looking at me as if your better than me even though you’re so much younger.” Her eyes held so much contempt as if her hate towards me were endless.

What did I do to her?

I remember that Alzbeta always walked around the garden whenever the sun has risen. Her favourite were the Variedad De Rosas Garden which houses at least 40 species of roses. The scenery where she is surrounded by roses bathed with sunlight just warms my heart. So I always make sure to walk around the garden at least once in 5 days so that I would be able to see it and feel at peace.

“Who… are you?”

 I heard a voice that’s so similar with Alzbeta.

I wonder who she is talking with?

With that in my mind, I hurried to locate where the voice was coming from.

 “Ha! Don’t pretend you don’t know me! Did you think you would get any sympathy from me if you do? Ha! I really hate that eyes of yours looking at me as if your better than me even though you’re so much younger.”

Miranda!

What I saw would always remain in my heart as a condition I would never ever allow my daughter to be in ever again. Slumped on the ground with a b****y nose and red cheek, my daughter was in a pitiful state but nevertheless still graceful.

“Miranda!”

Her face, which was just a minute ago so proud looking down at Alzbeta, contorted with fear as she heard me.

“What were you doing?!” I asked half shouting at her as I kneel to support my daughter. No. Even if she doesn’t answer, I already know.

“What about… my wife?”

“She has been mistreating the lady, my lord! At first, it was only small things, a dirty spoon or fork, wrong tea and dirty clothes. But it slowly evolved into bigger ones like a spit on my lady’s food, ripped books and clothes until one day my lady was so week from her visit in the garden that I suspected perhaps the madam did something again but she never said anything and just smiled.” Diane slowly cried as if she was too pained to listen to her story.

“And just more than a week ago, the madam invited the lady for tea. After that was…”

“Was the day after that the time she couldn’t remember anything?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Why did I not notice anything?

The marriage with Miranda was never out of love. I saw her immersed with the late afternoon sunlight and it made her red hair much redder and prettier. it reminded me of Cassandra, my late wife who is Alzbeta’s mother. I missed her so dearly that when I saw Miranda in that state, I immediately sought out to meet and marry her. But still, I couldn’t betray my late wife. I married Miranda but I couldn’t sleep with her. Instead, I worked harder and only showered her with gifts. So perhaps I was wrong but that doesn’t mean she could hurt my daughter!

“She was walking around in my garden!”

I gritted my teeth and glared at the woman who also half shouted her answer.

“You don’t own anything in this household!”

 Miranda gasped but soon also gritted her teeth. She clenched her palms and ran away as if it pains her to have her husband shout at her.

Adelmo looked at her daughter who was wiping her b****y nose and pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to me.

“Who was that?” I asked Adelmo.

“My.. wife.” He said as he looks down.

“But not my mother?”

Adelmo only nod. I felt a sense of relief to hear that so called Miranda wasn’t my mother. It feels like if she was, it would taint the image of Adelmo in her mind as a loving and doting father to Alzbeta.

“Why was she… like that?”

Adelmo looked at me as if he was asking himself that question too.

After that Aldemo went to continue his walk, probably to think. He invited me but I choose to refuse. I could not fandom to walk with someone I am still unfamiliar with even though he calls himself my father. The event in the garden made my already weak body, because of not eating for a week, weaker. So we separated our ways and I went back in my room.

When I arrived, I saw the room cleaned with new blanket and pillowcases. The room was completely dust free.

I guess Diane took advantage of my absence and cleaned everything. I can’t even see a spider web which I was sure was forming on one corner.

“My lady!” Diane was smiling brightly, as if she was so happy I went outside for the first time in a while, and here I am extremely uncomfortable of her.

If only Diane knows what happened.  But I was never a kiss and tell kind of person. So I’ll probably stay silent until I take this to my grave.

“What would you like to eat for breakfast my lady?”

If I say, I want kimchi rice bowl, would she be able to give it to me? No. I shouldn’t make Diane work too hard. After all, I am not Alzbeta.

“I don’t know. You take care of it.”

Diane’s bright face, if possible, became even brighter.

“Leave it to me my Lady!”

Diane stopped her cheerful behaviour after she closed the door of her lady’s room.

My lady probably thinks I didn’t saw the blood stains in her clothes or I just plainly ignored it.  

Her tears then started to fall.

Just how much pain does my lady has to suffer against that witch?!

She thought as she made her way towards the kitchen.